Corporate Women are a special breed

You know what we don’t often hear? How badass corporate women are.

For days, I’ve been struggling to articulate my thoughts on this topic because I was nervous to come across as too negative or arrogant. I wanted to share an uplifting and empowering message for international women's day but couldn’t do so without highlighting the different struggles that women can often face in the corporate world... so I’d delete every sentence that I’d draft because it felt like I was being too critical.

The irony of somewhat censoring myself with the same narrative that is used to disempower women is not lost on me.

But let’s put that aside for now and get back to the topic: corporate woman are badasses.

Too often, women working in corporate jobs are faced with a hundred different instances of unconscious bias, inappropriate comments and sometimes blatantly discriminatory performance feedback. These behaviours are oftentimes ingrained in the organisational culture, which makes it even harder to speak up against.

“You should smile more in meetings”

“You got promoted because he likes you”

“What you said is true but it sounds too arrogant when you say it”

“You’re smart and good at your job, but other people aren’t ready to accept that”

“You need to develop more empathetic and softer communication skills to become a good leader”

Repeatedly hearing such comments can slowly chip away at your mental health and self-worth. For lack of a better word, it can be a total mindf*ck.

In too many instances, being an ambitious woman is a balancing act between what you’re professionally capable to deliver versus how you’re perceived and treated as a woman. Sometimes, it’s as “obvious” as unequal pay. And sometimes, it’s a lot more subtle and nuanced, like a man praised for being outspoken while a woman is criticised for sounding self-righteous for the exact same comments and tonality.

It’s a delicate dance between proving your business acumen while avoiding the pitfalls of the likability bias that women often face.

But the ending doesn’t have to be bad. Rather than letting this turn into a villain origin story, I’d like to point out the invaluable skills that women can develop as a result of persevering through this adversity. Admirable amounts of resilience, empathy, humility, introspection and acute communication skills are some of the unexpected gifts that this difficulty can bring.

And that makes Corporate Women a special kind of breed, because they’ve had to develop a cut-throat resilience to carry-on in the corporate world, in spite of the ongoing sexist bullshit they often witness or experience first-hand.

Should women bear the burden of corporate cultures that are complicit in sexist bias? Absolutely not.

But do they rise up to become even more capable and valuable individuals, as a result of this? In many cases, they absolutely do.

So until corporate cultures (generally speaking) catch up with the modern world, we need to applaud our badass Corporate Women colleagues a lot more.

We need to recognise the sheer grit that they’ve likely built and the resulting skills that they’ve had to develop in order to succeed. These skills are more likely to make better leaders, managers and co-workers, therefore creating even more value to organisations.

With the hope that all workplaces become more encouraging and empowering towards everyone, let’s all celebrate Corporate Women and learn from them.

Having podcasters in your support network is a life hack

News flash! There is an undeniably strong correlation between living a more fulfilling life and having a good support system around you. I know, the revelation is shocking!

You are as strong as your support network. That’s a lesson that I luckily learned in my 20s but I also learned that getting the right advice from the right person is key. For example, if I need advice on female leadership in the corporate world, I wouldn't necessarily go to my dad first. Sorry dad!

If you have a growth-mindset, I strongly believe this: no matter where you are in life or how big your existing support network might be, you need to keep cultivating it. Your support network should always have individuals who are steps ahead of you, are more knowledgeable than you or who can simply ask you the right questions to help expand your perspective.

And sometimes, these individuals are harder to spot around you. And honestly, sometimes you just don’t want to meet nor talk to anyone (or is that just me?).

Cue in podcasters.

When I’m overwhelmed by my thoughts and choices, I turn to my favorite podcasts who are just a few taps away on my phone.

When I feel overwhelmed by my anxiety, I listen to The Anxious Achiever with Morra Aarons-Mele, whose calm voice and empathetic questions reassure me that it’s all going to be more-than-okay.

When I’m in a tricky situation and don’t know how to show up, I tune into Unlocking Us with Brené Brown. When I need some inspiration from badass leaders, Brené’s other podcast called Dare to Lead motivates me to become a more thoughtful and courageous leader.

When I want to feel more focused on my goals, Nike’s TRAINED podcast, hosted by Jaclyn Byrer and previously Ryan Flaherty, connects me with athletes and trainers who inspire me to improve my performance as a business woman and wannabe athlete.

And when I simply want to be entertained, I play Girls Gotta Eat for Ashley and Rayna’s unfiltered and downright shameless banter that makes me feel lighter and unapologetically more like myself.

These podcasters have absolutely no idea of who I am, but their perspectives are so important to my growth and wellbeing. Of course, my support network mainly consists of my family, friends, mentors and professionals. But these podcasters add the ✨extra & easy-to-access support ✨that truly fuels my growth-mindset.

So next time you’re walking your dog (yes I assume you have a dog even if you don’t), just plug in your earphones and take a chance on a podcaster who resonates with you.

You’d be learning and getting your steps in, while your dog is happily sniffing god-knows-what on the street. That sounds like a fair trade to me.

Goodbye Miss Corporate

These days, when people ask me what I do in life, I proudly exclaim “I’m unemployed!” with a big smile on my face. I know that this sounds counterintuitive and I am very privileged to be able to embrace my unemployment so happily.

You see, it’s been a long time coming. I joined Philip Morris International (PMI) at age 22, after earning my masters degree, as a freshly-graduated intern in their HQ digital team. By age 25, I was leading the entire multicategory digital marketing unit for the Swiss affiliate of PMI. By the age 29, I had established and led 3 different business units, created and deployed countless commercial strategies and experienced my fair share of corporate wins and losses.

It’s been 8 years and 7 different positions with a steep learning curve that I was eager to conquer. I became Miss Corporate and I fully embraced that title because that was my dream when I was a kid (rest assured - I had a very healthy and fun childhood!).

But as I neared the end of my 20s, I started to yearn for a different kind of professional life. One where I could focus more on the joy of creating new things and spend less time dealing with corporate dynamics. A life where I can choose how I spend my finite time, rather than going from endless meeting to meeting. I shared more on that topic in my previous blog post.

After several years of resisting this yearning, I finally left my corporate job along with my Miss Corporate identity. And let me tell you... I feel so free.

Today, I’m excited to be unemployed because it means I was able to leave my comfort bubble and commit myself to create a life that’s more fulfilling to me.

And one of the reasons why I feel so sure in my choice, is because Philip Morris was the best career (and life) school that I could have asked for. I leave this multinational with so much business knowledge and experience that all I can say is simply thank you PMI for having equipped me so well.

So goodbye Miss Corporate... and Hello [New Exciting Projects]

PS: No, I won’t be calling myself ‘Miss Unemployed’ anytime soon! I’m already cooking for my next titles. But more on that another time.